Drying herbs

This last weekend I spent time in our garden. There was the usual chores of turning the compost and removing weeds from garden beds. Some winter plants have come to the end of their life cycle signalling spring is not far away. Time was spent thinking about what I will plant for spring and how I can become an efficient gardner.

One way I can become a cleaver gardner is by choosing plants that I use often and remove those that I won't use over the next two seasons. One such plant is rosemary. I LOVE rosemary. It is my best friend in winter. But I doubt it will get used for much except tea and the occasional cocktail over summer. I decided to remove it and try drying my own herbs for the first time. This way I can use it for tea and other summer refreshments - and the plant does not go to waste.

I simply pulled the plant from the earth, shook the dirt off and tied string around the stem. 

Right now the rosemary is hanging in our hallway, adding a sweet smell to the air as it dries. In a month the rosemary will be dry and I will crush it up, housing the contents in an old repurposed glass bottle.

I have a fun project coming up on the blog for plastic free teabags (uh-huh there is plastic in your teabags) and I plan to include a tea recipe from the rosemary I am drying.

There is something calming about taking herbs I have watched grow and drying them. It is a satisfaction that I never got from buying herbs prepackaged in plastic bags or with plastic lids. This new process is nourishing, kind and familiar.

Have you dried herbs? What is your favourite herb to dry?